Etsy Seller Interview with Laura of Pure Impressions

How Pure Impressions got started

Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?

I started selling my jewelry on Etsy as a way to make a little extra money. I had no idea of where the universe would take this. 

One Holiday season, we left for Thanksgiving to visit family. We ended up having to leave early to come home to fulfill all the orders. I had to turn OFF the cha-ching! sound that Holiday season as I was so stressed (don’t worry, I turned it back on). We haven’t been able to leave town for Thanksgiving since! That was also when I decided I had to leave my safe, full-time job of 10+ years to run my business. 

All of my jewelry is handmade by me in my basement jewelry studio in Casper, Wyoming. There’s a lot of hand sawing that goes on, hammering, forging, stamping and soldering.
There’s something special about an artifact that started off as scrap metal, and ends up being someone’s favorite piece of jewelry. 

Favorite items

What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?

Oh my gosh, it’s so hard to pick favorites. 

My Stay Wild Moon Child Ring will always be my favorite because of how much work went into creating the design. Also, the saddle ring I used to cut by hand from sheet metal - I created the template for it, and recently got a pancake die made so I don’t have to cut it by hand. 

I designed the stamps and had the metal stamps custom made as well. It used to sell a lot better here on Etsy, but a few years ago, a Chinese company got a hold of it, and now you can buy it from those sites for pennies, and hundreds of sellers are reselling it for cheap. 

It’s so frustrating when this happens as a creator and it’s impossible to fight against. I’m SO thrilled when I get a sale for it on Etsy anymore, because someone found the real one instead of a fake one!

Definitely, my Brass Sunshine Ring first. It’s a cute little way to carry some sunshine around with you wherever you go. It does pretty well here on Etsy. I think everyone wants to carry a little sunshine in their pocket!

And any of my turquoise jewelry & mountain jewelry, because it’s just SO Wyoming. I’ve lived here for just about 20 years. It took me a little bit to figure out that I loved it, but it’s home now and I wouldn’t give it up for anything.

Getting sales on Etsy

How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?  

I think I opened my Etsy shop in August of 2012, and my first sale came in on September 18th 2012.  It was A LOT of work, getting everything set up and figuring out SEO!

You have to stay up to date with Etsy’s algorithm and keep your SEO recent.
I also use Pinterest, FB and Instagram a lot to drive traffic to my shop.

Managing Pure Impressions

How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members?

I manage my shop as my full-time job. I go through phases where I have anywhere from 1-3 employees, to just myself. Summer is slower than most seasons, so right now, it’s just me. I’ll be looking to bring some people back in for the busy season soon.

Canva is my go to for all of my social media designs. 

I use a few different SEO programs to help keep track of keywords, but my go-to is Marmalead. 

I work on orders every day. Every morning, I print off orders, and see what needs to be done. 

Some items I make ahead of time, so they’re ready to go, but most items are created when the order is placed. Everything in my shop is handmade by me.
I use Shipstation to handle my shipping and fulfillment. Etsy’s shipping works great, but I sell on other platforms, including my own website, and I need things to be organized in one place. I LOVE Shipstation. It keeps my orders from all of my different selling sites organized. It doesn’t just let me ship orders, it keeps track of all the data and helps me make inventory decisions and sale planning decisions. I would be so stressed without it.

I schedule pick-ups daily with my carrier. I love my mail carrier lady, she’s the best.

The future of Pure Impressions

What goals do you have for your shop in the future?

I have plans to start a podcast early next year.  Pure Impressions has evolved from just a jewelry shop, to an entire brand since I started in 2011. It’s more like a non-traditional wellness brand with a silver addiction now. 

We have a weekly newsletter that goes out with monthly personal growth topics. I also have a self-care subscription box that sells out almost every month. 

I want to teach more classes and do more public speaking. I want to keep inspiring other business owners to do what sets their soul on fire. I want them to know that their dreams aren’t too big.

Advice for new sellers

What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?

Just keep going. So many shops will give up because it’s hard.
The most important thing you can do is to find your why.

Keep leveling up your photography. 

Work on your SEO. 

Spread the word. 

Start a blog. 

Get people on an email list (and email them) 

Post on social and FIND YOUR PEOPLE.

Even if people don’t show up, just keep doing it.
Eventually, 1 sale will turn into 5 sales. 

And in 10 years, you’ll have over 40,000. Celebrate your wins, even the small ones. 

Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.

Question:

How much is your monthly revenue?

Answer:

Anywhere from $6-$10k in the slower months and $20-$25k in the busier months.

Question:

What is your average profit margin?

Answer:

About 35% 

Question:

What is your shop’s conversion rate?

Answer:

Usually about 2%